Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased this book as part of a university course. I took the rather radical liberty of reading it right-through before the start of the course. It was not difficult. Packed full of insight into insight Maltby's text has proven to be a real source of enlightenment.
Nearly seven hundred pages make it quite clear that nothing, but nothing, is as it seems. The reader may have a strong political energy or none whatsoever but should realise that making movies works on many political levels. It may be unpalatable but it is often undeniable. A capitalist economy is a reality.
I thought genre was convenient sales language, now I understand how 'emotional landscapes' are used 'to construct ourselves socially.' I've never really been a fan of westerns but when I learn of exactly how they are operating I am most impressed.
Did you know that modern films make their money from rental and sell-through dvds and not the cinema release which only serves to recoup production costs and advertises the product? Well I did not. These are almost trivial asides when it comes to the breadth of Maltby's work. The movie (the word is explained) 'is a performance and not a text.' A construction of camera, editing and scenery. And its time.
'My principle aim,' concludes the author, 'has been to argue that Hollywood cinema must be understood through the specific historical conditions of its circulation as a commercial commodity.' And this is many years before James Cameron's Avatar. Highly recommended.
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This extensively revised second edition offers a comprehensive introduction to Hollywood cinema, providing a fascinating account of the cultural and aesthetic significance of the world's most powerful film industry.
Provides a fascinating account of Hollywood history.
Examines the cultural and aesthetic significance of the world's most powerful film industry.
Explores and interprets Hollywood cinema in history and in the present, in theory and in practice.
Extensively revised and updated with new chapter features including box sections, further reading lists, Notes and Queries, and chapter summaries.
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